ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Britain is joining the United States in sending instructors to train the Pakistani military in counter-insurgency operations, the BBC reported.

The report said Britain's defense ministry has already sent a team of instructors to Pakistan, while the United States plans to send up to 100 of its military trainers for a similar mission, as both countries seek to boost military cooperation with Pakistan.

The objective is to check the spread of al-Qaida and Taliban activities in Pakistan's tribal areas close to the border with Afghanistan.

The BBC said the British instructors in Pakistan will not be involved in fighting, but will only "train the trainers," showing their Pakistani counterparts how to combat the growing low-intensity guerrilla insurgency.